Democrats scored one of their biggest midterm victories defeating several high-profile Republican incumbents and reclaiming control of both the House and Senate. The party also flipped multiple governorships, delivering a major setback to President Donald Trump and reshaping the political landscape ahead of the final two years of his second term.
Jon Husted, who had been appointed to the seat, also lost his first election. Greg Abbott lost his bid for a fourth term to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. In Ohio, Republican Sen. His defeat further expanded the Democrats’ Senate gains. Texas witnessed two major Republican setbacks. Republican Gov. Republican-backed Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, although not incumbent, was also defeated by Democrat James Talarico after a closely watched campaign. The results pointed to Trump’s political influence. However, after the results, he argued the losses were not a referendum on his presidency. He later repeated that argument in interviews, insisting voter turnout would have been higher had he been a candidate.
Only 38% of voters approved of Trump’s job performance, while 62% disapproved, according to NBC News exit polls.
The election saw long-held Republican strongholds fall to Democrats as voters cited inflation, the cost of living and dissatisfaction with Trump’s presidency among their top concerns, according to Fortune . Several candidates personally backed by the president failed to win despite extensive campaign support, according to The Guardian. “I wasn’t on the ballot and if I was, we would have won in a landslide,” Trump wrote on social media.
Earlier in the campaign, Trump repeatedly urged Republicans to vote “as though I was on the ballot.
